Keyboard musical instrument.



No. 833,060. 7 V PATEN'IED OCT. 9, 1906.

' P. B. KLUGH.

KEYBOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APILIOITIO! TILED AUG. 18, 1905- fl M Fwzmwn i M M mamas Luna Iaafws'm a c UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

PAULBROWN KLUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CABLE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

KEYBOARD MUSICAL I INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

Application filed August 18, 1906. Serial No. 274,767.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be "it known that 1, PAUL BROWN KLUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keyboard Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto keyboard musical instruments adapted to be played manually or mechanically by perforated musicsheet attachments. In this class of devices the manual keyboard and the mechanism for au-- tomatic or mechanical playing are arranged for mutually inde endent operation.

The object of t e present invention is to provide efficient automatic mechanism of the class mentioned which shall be simple and compact in construction and so direct and delicate in its operation that it will simulate the character of the manual touch and, further,-have capacity for ready attachment or removal from keyboard musical instruments. i

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention as applied to a piano.

In the drawing the view shown is a crosssection of the parts of a piano adjacent to the keyboard. The figure shows one of the keys, the abstract operated by it during manual playing, and the motor or pneumatic, with lever and lever connections for reciprocating the abstract and operating the instrument automatically.

K indicates one of the keys of the piano mounted and fulcrumed in the usual way. On the rear or operating end of this key is a pocket or cushioned bumper 1O interposed between the key and the lower end of the ab stract S. Abstract 8 is suspended and constructed in the usual manner to operate the sound-producing devices.

1 indicates a lever fulcrumed at 2 on crossblock 3, attached in the case of the piano above the keys. One arm of this lever is provided with a depending screw4, which is attached to a suitable motor device for rocking the lever, located intermediate of the lever and keys, preferably to the movable or lever member of collapsible pneumatic 6, while the other arm is provided with suit-able contact surface or surfaces 9, preferably cushioned and rounded, as shown. By arranging lever 1 directly above the movable member of pneumatic 6 or other motor device a very direct and effective lift is ob tained. Rigidly attached to abstract 8' is the curved bracket or contact-spoon '7, so positioned that .when the motor device is dead or inoperative the abstract drops into pocket 10; but when operated it raises lever 1 into contact with spoon 7, lifts the abstract 8, and actuates the playing devicesv These playing devices, being of the usual construction, are not here shown. The spoon 7 is preferably rounded, as "shown, and constructed of rigid, but slightly elastic, material, such as sheet-steel, so that it may afford a certain firm and springy touch between the similarly-cushioned surface or surfaces 9 of the lever and the abstract 8.

In the device shown in the drawing inflation of pneumatic 6 depresses the contact end of lever 1 and allows the spoon-bracket,

and abstract to descend into. position for manual playing. It will be seen that in this position there is no interference of the pneumatic with the abstract, which is left free to move in response to thekeys. \Vhen, however, the collapsible pneumatic is in operation, the alternate rise and fall of the movable member alternately depresses and elcvates the forward arm of the lever, brings the cushioned surface 9 alternately in and out of contact with the bracket or spoon 7 and reciprocates the abstract 8 to actuate the sound-producing devices without disturbance of the keys. It is to be umlerstoodthat the pneumatics are operated by suction in connection with suction-bellows, a trackerboard, perforated music-sheets for controlling the admission of air to the tracker-board, and bellows actuated by the air circulated through the tubes of the tracker board and controlling the valves connected with the pneumatic 6. All this mechanism is so well known in the art that it does not need to be illustrated or further described. It is obvious that instead of using pneumatics any means may be employed for operating lever 1 and that my attachment may be connected with any keyboard musical instrument of the class described by securing the spoon to the abstract and placing the lever and motor within the instrument in proper relation to the spoon.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure vers pivoted above the keys, motors, inter mediate of said keys and levers, adapted to operate said levers, and brackets on said uprights positioned to contact withfsaid lever and actuate the uprights when the levers are o operated by said motor and to move free t ereof in response to said keys when the motors are out of operation.

. 2. The combmation of a pivoted key, an abstract adapted to o crate sound-producin devices, one end of w 'ch rests upon an end of said key, a motor above said key adapted alternately to raise and depress a lever, a lever fulcrumed above said motor havin its long arm connected to said motor, an its short arm provided with a curved end beneath a bracket, a curved flexible bracket on :said abstract positioned to contact with said short-arm when raised and actuate said abstract and when depressed to ermit said ab- 2 5 'stract to drop upon the end 0 said ke 3. The combination of a pivoted ey, an abstract adapted to operate sound-producing devices, and a cushioned bumper interpose between the adjacent ends of said keys and 3c abstracts, with an elastic bracket secured to said abstract, the lever 1, having a cushioned end beneath said bracket and means for alternately raising and lowering said cushioned lever end to lift said abstract and drop it'to rest on said bumper for the purposes described.

4. In combination with a piano key adapted'to move an abstract longitudinally, a flexible spoon on said abstract, a pneumatic above said key rovided with a movable member, a pivote lever having one end secured to said member and the other in engagement with said spoon, whereb said abstract may be reciprocated manual by operation of said key or mechanically y alternate collapse and inflation of said pneumatic.

5. The combination with uprights or abstracts and keys for-operating them, with levers, pivoted abovesaid keys having rounded cushioned ends, for actuating said ab- 5 stracts without moving said'keys, motors intermediate of said keys and levers, adapted to operate said levers, and brackets secured 'to said abstracts adapted to contact with said lever ends and actuate said abstracts when said motors are operative, and tofree them when and motors are inoperative,

6. The combination of uprights or abstracts and ke s for actuating them, with levers fulcrume above the keys, motors inter- 6o when the levers are out of operation.

7. In a key-bed musical instrument, an abstract, a key for actuating it, a lever fulcrumed above the key, a pneumatic motor intermediate of the keyand lever, having its movable member secured to an end of the lever and a bracket secured to the abstract and positioned thereon to engage the free end of said lever and actuate the abstract when the lever is raised whereby said abstract may be moved independently by said pneumatic motor and said kev alternately.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. PAUL BROWN KLUGH. Witnessesz' v HENRY J. KROLL, v GEO. W. BOLLAM. 

